Brijesh Patel

One of the giants of domestic cricket in India, Brijesh Patel was a gem for Karnataka and a fairly decent player for the national team as well. A free-wheeling stroking batsman who loved to bat with positive intent, Patel's flamboyant nature of play did get him into trouble on helpful surfaces, particularly against the fast bowlers. Nevertheless, he was a treat to watch when on song, pulverising the bowlers with absolute contempt. Apart from his batting skills, Patel was also an excellent fielder, particularly near the fence and took some really stunning catches there in the deep. He could bowl off breaks but was barely relied on, even in the domestic circuit.

Having started his First-class career as a budding teenager who was impressive right from his teenage days, Patel wasted little time in making a statement in the premier domestic competitions. After a few seasons, the national call up arrived when Patel got named in the squad for India's Test tour of England in 1974. Vulnerabilities against the swinging ball saw him fare badly in his debut series but he got solid backing and eventually went on to become on of the glamour stars of India's batting line-up. His style of play meant that they wasn't always consistent but played some impact knocks. For Karnataka, he was impregnable, scoring truckload of runs, being the leading all-time runscorer in Ranji trophy at one point. After retirement, Patel spent time as a national selector and later on, took up administrative responsibilities of the Karnataka Cricket Association.

Written by Hariprasad Sadanandan